CHARACTER CREATION

In August of 1992, Dragon Magazine owned by TSR had an article on the "Seven
Sentence NPC". They later put it on their website free for the public (which is why I
think its ok to reproduce here - I'm sure someone will ask me to remove it if it isn't).
Not only is this applicable to any game, but its really useful.

A new way to bring nonplayer characters to life (in the game, that is)
Rand the Elder is a blacksmith who has spent all his life in Arabel. He is a tall man
with a heavy black beard. Rand is known for his great strength (16), skill as a
blacksmith, and rather dim wit (Int 7). He values his family above all, is honest to a
fault, and has a great fondness for music. Uncomfortable and a man of few words with
strangers, he is talkative and likes to sing with his close friends. With his shop on the
main thoroughfare, he hears many of the tales from outside the city, but often gets the
facts mixed up due to his slow wit. He talks in a deep, slow drawl and pulls at his
beard when talking to others.
Creating nonplayer characters for a game session is an interesting and challenging part
of adventure creation. However, while great time and effort can be spent on major
antagonists and player character companions, rarely does a DM have the time to put
equal effort into NPCs with "bit parts". All too often, the results of this are a few welldeveloped NPCs and a lot of stereotyped bit-part NPCs who seem to all look the
same. To give NPCs more variety while keeping down the effort in their development,
I developed what I refer to as the "seven sentence NPC" (SSNPC). The seven
sentences used to describe the NPC contain what I considered to be the essential
elements to allow PCs to deal with and remember the NPC. Other Dungeon Masters
may differ on what they feel is essential; if so, the SSNPC described here can provide
a starting point for developing a new set of essential data. Just because this NPC
description is referred to as a "seven sentence NPC" does not necessarily mean each
NPC is described in exactly seven sentences. For the sake of the English language and
clarity, sometimes more than one sentence is used for a given point.
1. Occupation or history
The first sentence serves as the introduction to the NPC, describing his occupation and
giving a brief history of the character. If the NPC has a front, such as being a gem
smith who is a cat burglar at night, this information can be provided in this sentence.
A brief historical note can give the NPC more depth and indicate skills and knowledge
that are not readily apparent to the PCs. For example Rand the Elder, mentioned at the

start of this article, may be the retired adventurer Randel the Giantslayer, renowned
throughout the FORGOTTEN REALMS setting and with a vast knowledge of the
Spine of the World.
2. Physical description
The second sentence is a brief physical description of the NPC. In some cases this
may give a hint as to an NPC's hidden occupation, such as a note that a beggar has a
flash of gold in his mouth.
3. Attributes & skills
The third sentence describes the NPC's attributes and skills. Here, any attributes above
or below average should be noted. When describing attributes, it is easiest to reference
those used in the game. In the AD&D game, these: would be intelligence, wisdom,
strength, dexterity, charisma and constitution. Any attributes not mentioned are
considered to be average. Any special skills and the NPC's level of ability with these
skills can also be mentioned. These skills do not necessarily have to be associated
with the NPC's current occupation. For example, if Rand is an average blacksmith but
a great song writer, the sentence may not even mention blacksmithing, noting only his
undiscovered talent for musical composition. These skills and attributes may be
widely known or known only to the NPC himself. Whatever the case, this should also
be noted in this sentence.
4. Values & motivations
The fourth sentence is one of the most important, from a role-playing point of view.
This sentence describes the values that the PCs must discover and exploit in order to
motivate a NPC to doing as they ask. This is particularly important if the PCs are
asking the NPC to do something that is against the NPC's basic principles. For
example, due to Rand's honesty, the PCs will have a difficult time convincing him to
shoe a horse so that the horse will probably throw the shoe after a short distance.
Money probably will not do it; however, if the PCs threatened his family, there is little
doubt that Rand will shoe the horse as the PCs' desire (but he will probably hate them
for it). The values and motivations described in this sentence should not be directly
revealed to the PCs. The PCs will have to search for clues in the way the NPC talks
and acts in order to discover which buttons must be pushed to pet the NPC to do as
they desire. From the DM's point of view, the values and motivations described for
the NPC help the DM decide how the NPC will react to the questions and offers of the
PCs.
5. Interactions with others
This sentence describes how the NPC interacts with others. Whether he is loud and
obnoxious or condescending and rude, it can be noted in this sentence. Many NPCs

will react differently to the PCs depending on whether they know them or not. If this
is the case, it will be noted in this sentence.
6. Useful knowledge
This is also a very important sentence, from the PCs' point of view, as it describes
what the NPC knows that may be of use to the PCs. This information might be simple,
such as where a tired adventurer can get a good meal and a bed for the night. On the
other hand, it can be a key clue leading to the next adventure. The knowledge de
scribed in the given example for Rand is of general nature, which should be the case
in most NPC descriptions. There should also be an indication of how reliable the
NPC's information is. In some cases what the NPC knows may be very specific, such
as the location of a dragon's lair or who to bribe to pet a buddy out of jail. This will
usually occur when the NPC is designed for a specific walk-in part in the current
adventure.
7. Distinguishing feature
The last sentence is used to describe a distinguishing feature or characteristic of the
NPC. This gives the PCs something to remember the NPC by, possibly helping them
to locate him in the future. It is fairly common for players to forget the names of
NPCs, unless they are in the habit of writing down the names of every character they
meet. If a distinguishing feature is described, the players can often recall this
description if not the NPC himself. If the PCs cannot remember an NPC's name, the
DM should not give it out. The PCs can return to the city and inquire for the
blacksmith with the deep, slow drawl who always is pulling at his big, black beard.
Sample NPCs
To assist with the understanding of how this NPC system can be used, several
examples set in the FORGOTTEN REALMS campaign are provided below.
Baron "Wardog" Muckdigger is the lord of a small land holding in east Sembia, 24 of
which he is the seventh heir. He is a short man, clean shaven with a very upright
posture. Wardog is a 9th-level fighter famous for his incredible stamina (Con 18) and
his leadership abilities (Cha 15), as well as his alleged ability at musical composition
(his works are described as being more like the sounds of war than actual music).
Beside composing music, the baron's greatest love is war, and he will use almost any
excuse to take up arms against anyone he thinks might prove an interesting adversary.
The baron has a rather blunt and direct way of dealing with people, but mixes it with
enough charm to avoid being abusive. He knows a lot about military tactics, different
military organizations and how to defeat them, but virtually nothing about the backroom politics in Sembia (or music, for that matter). The baron always talks in a loud

voice with his head stuck right in your face, so you can smell the heavy garlic on his
breath.
Lady Erin of Loft is the demure third daughter of the Mayor of Espar in Cormyr-at
least, during the day she is. At night, Erin becomes the infamous Lady Darkthreat, an
assassin who employs magic and poison to destroy her targets. Erin is a petite blonde
with delicate features, and men often wish to protect her (she finds this amusing). She
is a 7th-level mage with an extensive knowledge of poisons and a high intelligence
(Int 17), quick reflexes (Dex 18), and the constitution of a horse (Con 17). Lady Erin
lives for the kill. She loves to get to know her victims intimately, using this
knowledge to set up the perfect assassination. Lady Erin is always charming and
warm, and appears to engage in idle gossip while taking in her surroundings and
subtly pumping the other person for information. Lady Erin knows virtually all of the
gossip of the nobility and rich merchants of Cormyr, as well as many private facts
with respect to these people. She has a small mole on her right cheek.
Durwald of Stonecleft is a dwarf originally from the Mines of Tethyamar, and is now
the leader of a small dwarven mining and forging operation in the Thunder Peaks
south of Tilverton. He is average in stature for a dwarf and has a dull gray beard that
he wears in two braids tied loosely around his head. Durwald is a 9th level fighter and
capable leader, but a rather indifferent miner and smith. Durwald considers other
dwarves' dreams of regaining lost kingdoms to be foolish and believes that only one
thing matters: the survival of the dwarven race. This, he believes, is most easily
obtained by earning favors and great amounts of treasure with which to buy
mercenaries as cannon fodder. Durwald of Stonecleft is a clever dwarf who is always
willing to deal with others and believes in "long-term investments" that he will always
cash in on. He is quite familiar with the Thunder Peaks, from the Inner Sea to the
Border Forest, and has personally fought many of its denizens. He is intimately
familiar with the ways of the Mines of Tethyamar and, having no interest in returning,
might be willing to sell this if the price is high enough. Durwald has a long scar down
the side of his head that he often scratches while making conversation.